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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25322752">Tell Me More</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spyder_m/pseuds/spyder_m'>spyder_m</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crisis Core Era (Compilation of FFVII), F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:40:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25322752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spyder_m/pseuds/spyder_m</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zack wasn't expecting to run in to anyone else while on standby at Costa Del Sol. Certainly not anyone who would leave such a lasting impression on him. Written for Day 2 of the Cloti/Zerith Endless Summer Week. Prompt 'Summer Nights.'</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tell Me More</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For this prompt, I wanted to do a partially-Grease inspired fic where It's Zack and Aerith hitting it off and having a summer fling, similar to the characters Danny and Sandy. It's kind of an AU take Crisis Core where Zack and Aerith haven't yet meet and Shinra have taken more of an active interest in her.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Summer heat, boy and girl meet...</em>
</p><p>Zack's legs ached as he dipped down for another squat, the sun beating relentlessly against his shoulders.</p><p>He wasn't sure rep what he was up to; he had long since lost count; but that wasn't important. The burning in his thighs was a distraction, a way to pass the time.</p><p>After everything that happened with Angeal and Genesis, Zack had been put on standby, a mandatory sabbatical to Costa Del Sol, and couldn't take on any missions.</p><p>Shinra had made the order, claiming to have his wellbeing in mind, but they didn't seem to realise the mental strain it was putting him through.</p><p>He wanted to dive back into his work, to put all of this behind him. That way, he could preserve Angeal's memory and teachings, maybe even give him closure. </p><p>But the higher-ups remained firm in their decision.</p><p>They must have seen him as a liability.</p><p>Zack had tried reaching out to Cloud with his PHS, hoping to live vicariously through any action his friend saw, but there was only so much he could tell him about routine patrols and guard duty under the plate.</p><p>To Zack, having that contact was almost worse than being completely off the grid. Not enough to quell his loneliness but make him long for the close interaction all the more. To be in the same space as another person.</p><p>He wasn't completely alone. Members of the Turks would stop periodically to check up on him. But it wasn't the same.</p><p>Without Soldier duties to pass the time, Zack had resolved to focus on training.</p><p>If nothing else, the beach climate gave a flair to his routine drills. There was a tide for him to swim against, sand that was harder to run across, heat testing his endurance and mental strength.</p><p>Cissnei had found him in the middle of a workout on many occasions. Sighing and saying that he was supposed to be here for some R&amp;R.</p><p>Zack could only scoff, wondering how he was supposed to relax when the Turks were breathing down his neck?</p><p>Yes, Costa Del Sol was beautiful. He had enjoyed the first few days being able to swim and bask in the sunlight.</p><p>But, being confined to Shinra's private section of the beach, the luxury started to wane. It felt like something he would appreciate a lot more with some company.</p><p>Beat, Zack slumped back against the sand, breaths carrying heavily from his throat.</p><p>His gaze lifted to the clear, endless sky above, having to raise his hand to shield his eyes from the sun's glare. It was a sight and sensation he was still, strangely unaccustomed to. An unobstructed blue, no steel plate stretching for miles.  </p><p>Throat thick with saliva, Zack turned onto his side, wondering if perhaps he had worn himself out enough to sleep off a few more hours. It would be a great way to pass the time. Not to mention, the rest would do him good.</p><p>Relaxing beneath the shade of a nearby palm tree, Zack focused on the flow of water in and out from the shore, on gathering the steady, calming pattern of his breathing, hoping to expel everything that had been weighing upon his mind.</p><p>Just as he had been about to drift off, his Mako-heightened senses narrowed in on the unmistakable pad of footsteps carrying across the beach. Zack's nose wrinkled, frustrated at the distraction.</p><p>At first, he turned on his side, stubbornly seeking out sleep. He figured it was one of the Turks, coming to check on him. That maybe they would leave him alone.</p><p>But, having grown familiar with the unique nuances of each Turks' movement, Zack realised these footsteps seemed different... lighter, a grace to the person's gait.</p><p>They were a woman's footsteps, but not Cissnei's; he would have recognised otherwise. Then... who?</p><p>Zack sat up, his snapping in the direction of the sound. This unfamiliar presence had caught his interest, the curiosity gnawing at him. He knew he wouldn't be able to nap now. Not that that bothered Zack, any shift in his routine was a welcome one.</p><p>Moving towards the beach carefully, with all the stealth of a Soldier First Class, Zack held his breath as if afraid his presence alone would make her vanish.</p><p>A light blue dress fluttered against her bare ankles. Wavy, brown hair tied into a braid, loose strands hanging around her neck. She was smoothing out a towel, humming tunelessly to herself.</p><p>Zack gazed on, transfixed. He wondered if, the heat and exertion from his workout had him hallucinating. Still in disbelief, he rubbed vigorously at his eyes, dark splotches bleeding into his vision.</p><p>Yet, she remained in his sight. Solid, real.</p><p>Not having seen another, regular person in what felt like days, Zack was overjoyed.</p><p>Starved for a conversation, he stumbled to his feet, muscles like jelly thanks to his earlier torture.</p><p>Retrieving his towel, Zack draped it over his shoulders. He grimaced, conscious that his workout had probably left him sweaty and gross. He took solace in hoping that the pump would at least accentuate his muscles.</p><p>Undeterred, Zack sauntered over, lips settling into a smile he knew could leave any girls' knees weak.</p><p>"Hey there." He greeted. "I wasn't expecting to see anyone else around here."</p><p>Zack's voice trailed off, his breath catching as he was swallowed by the vibrant green of her eyes, a sight not unlike the sunlight billowing off of the stretch of water before them. Pulling back, he took in the rest of her features, the curl of her bangs framing them.</p><p>His charm and bravado dissipating, heat pooled in Zack's cheeks as all the trace of the next words he had been hoping to form slipped from his tongue.</p><p>What was wrong with him? Was he... nervous?</p><p>No, he didn't get nervous around girls.</p><p>Zack was suddenly beginning to remember his earlier work out and how dry his throat had gotten. It was rare that he was lost for words.</p><p>Her eyes crinkled in amusement, but she did not answer. As if sensing his unease and reveling it, leaving him to stew in the awkward silence. Offering nothing more than the lift of a delicate brow, a sign as much that she was intrigued, listening.</p><p>Somehow, the fact that she had him rattled and was so effortlessly teasing him, only intrigued Zack more. There was something different about her.</p><p>"I- uh, that is to say..." </p><p>Panicking, Zack's eyes darted around, hoping something nearby could spur on the conversation. His eyes settled eventually on the bottle in her hands; the liquid she was lathering into her shoulder.</p><p>"Need a hand?"</p><p>.</p><p>It was odd, though, not the first time Zack had found himself drawn so quickly and intensely to someone. He and Cloud had hit it off right away, but there was something about her.</p><p>Perhaps there was an urgency and excitement in knowing that they may never see each another again, understanding how brief their time together was.</p><p>Maybe it was a by-product of being in such a romantic, unfamiliar place or having been deprived meaningful human contact for so long, but everything between them seemed amplified; his head rushing at the slightest touch of her hand.</p><p>Perhaps he had become so stifled by routine that he was, almost defiantly, bucking against what was normal. Maybe that was why he had been so for forward with her. Even more so than usual. Eager to earn about and know as much about her as soon as possible.</p><p>Her name was Aerith and Zack was shocked to learn that, just like him, she was from Midgar.</p><p>With all the time he spent on missions and patrols, surely, they would have run into each other at some point. There was no way that Zack would have missed such a drop-dead beauty.</p><p>It made more sense when she explained that she lived in the Sector 5 slums with her mom and spent most of her time in the Church tending to the flowers there.</p><p>Soldier were usually topside and didn't go below the plate unless there was reason to. He thought about asking if she'd seen Cloud around before, but remembered he'd be wearing his helmet while on patrol, so it was probably a silly question.</p><p>Still, he was surprised to hear that flowers could grow in Midgar. They'd always been a rare sight in Midgar.</p><p>The more he learnt, the more hope Zack gained that there could be something between them. Whatever the reason, Zack didn't think of it as playful flirting, something not to be taken too seriously. He wanted to be closer to her.</p><p>Together, they walked across the shoreline, cooling their feet in the water. She lost her footing as a clump of sand give way, bumping accidentally against his arm.</p><p>With a teasing grin, Zack extended his hand for her to take. At first, she scoffed and turned her head, folded her arms in defiance. It proved too difficult to contain the laughter bubbling in her throat and she relented.</p><p>Her hand was soft and dainty, fitting comfortably in his own. Though he could feel tiny groves and cuts across her fingers, calloused skin on the flat of her palm. Did she fight with a staff of some kind?</p><p>As Zack asked her questions, he was caught in the way her gaze would lift, looking fondly into the distance. Her expression lighting up as she spoke about the children that she visited at the nursery by her house, or the restaurant she sometimes helped wait tables at.</p><p>It was cute.</p><p>Strangely, when he tried to broach what she was doing in Costa del Sol, she grew quiet, her body folding in on itself. Zack scratched awkwardly at the back of his head, sensing he had touched a nerve.</p><p>The dip in conversation stewed into palpable silence. Wincing, Zack's eyes carried to distant waves crashing upon the horizon, hopeful for a distraction. Above the spray of ocean water, her voice rose.</p><p>"So pretty..."</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"Your eyes."</p><p>"Why not take a closer look?" Zack grinned, facing her straight on.</p><p>The Mako infused in Soldier's gave their eyes a bright, ethereal glow. For some, they were unnerving, difficult to stare directly into. Almost a reminder of the danger and overwhelming power flowing through them.</p><p>Yet, Aerith only seemed drawn to his as she shuffled nearer, carefully studying each tiny fleck of blue or green. Zack couldn't recall a time held such a prolonged, unbroken gaze with someone.</p><p>Her face lingered close enough to his own that Zack could make out the daylight flickering through her hair, the pores of her skin and pout of her lips. He realised that if he just shifted slightly forward, he could easily take them with his own.</p><p>Zack swallowed, imaging how soft and warm they would feel, instinctively puckering his own as he edged closer. His eyes began to flutter closed as he felt her breath caressing his own.  Was she moving closer too?    </p><p>The sound of a helicopter touching down brought them snapping back to attention, disturbing the peaceful oasis they had found.</p><p>Zack rolled his eyes. It was bad enough that he couldn't get a second of peace from the Turks. Now they had ruined this moment. He turned toward Aerith, greeted by an expression of dread washing over her; her shoulders dropping.</p><p>"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, touching his hand over her back.</p><p>She flinched, her lips parting to answer, but her voice faltering. Zack frowned as he recognised Tseng stepping out of the helicopter, glancing in their direction. Beside him, Aerith stiffened.</p><p>"I- I'm sorry, Zack. But I have to go."</p><p>"Oh." He said, hoping the disappointment didn’t carry noticeably in his voice. "Okay."</p><p>Beginning to step away, Aerith's hands wrung together at her waist, seeming somewhat begrudging in her decision.</p><p>"Will I see you again?" She asked.</p><p>"Of course." Zack nodded, confident. "I'll make sure of it!"</p><p>He could track her church down. Maybe Cloud had seen it.</p><p>"That's a relief," she sighed. "I look forward to it. Well, until then."</p><p>As she turned away, Zack was struck by the urge not to let her go.</p><p>Yet, he felt powerless to intervene, shaken by her apparent ties to the Turks and what they could mean. Even as a First-Class Soldier, there were things about Shinra he didn't know. This felt like something far beyond him.</p><p>Clasping Aerith's shoulder, Tseng guided her into the Helicopter, offering Zack little more than a dip of his head as the door was shut behind him.</p>
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